The Thief
by Mer
Summary: The story takes place on Tatooine during ROTJ w/original characters whose stories are all intertwined. Bonus special intermission random sub-plot :) R & R please! you might like it!
1. Chapter 1

I just wanted to say that Star Wars does not belong to me and I will not profit off of this and I'd appreciate it if nobody used my characters without askin first (not that you'd want to). Also, if someone could please tell me how to make the text normal-looking in notepad I'd be most grateful.  
  
The Thief -   
By Mer  
  
Silus:  
Silus Pontulk could not imagine a worse mess. Jabba the Hutt would arrive back at the palace in two hours and notice his favorite Ynarian gem was missing. It would only be a matter of time then until he'd discover that as Chief of the Palace Guard, Silus was to blame for the thief's evading capture, and soon after that...well, Silus didn't want to think about that. There were only two paths he could see to take, and neither seemed very promising. He could either try to find the thief or get off-planet before Jabba returned. Worst case scenarios: he would be unable to locate the thief or the gem and would face a slow and agonizing death of Jabba's choice, or he would try to get as far away from Tatooine as possible (which Jabba would no doubt expect) and be hunted down by bounty hunters to face a slow and agonizing death of Jabba's choice. No, those ideas wouldn't work unless he found the thief.   
And how was he supposed to find one lousy gem thief on all of Tatooine that had disappeared without a trace? Silus knew just how impossible it was to track anyone on the planet - it was the perfect hiding place for those who want to avoid being found. Wait a minute, Silus thought, that's was it! Jabba would expect him to try to escape to another planet, but if Silus could lay low on Tatooine he'd have a better chance of avoiding detection. And with the immediate risk of slow and agonizing death out of the way, he'd be in a perfect position to try to track down the Ynarian gem thief.  
  
Majiri:  
"So, my mysterious friend," said a low, silky voice over com-link, "you say you have some merchandise that will interest me?"  
"Maybe," a gruff voice replied, "if you don't mind owning it secondhand of Jabba the Hutt."  
"Really?" Said the silky voice with a touch of amusement. "I must say I am impressed. Might I ask how you accomplished this feat?" This caused the other to laugh shortly in a manner so harsh it seemed more of a cough or a bark.  
"I would love to tell," said the gruff voice, "but my secrets are to remain my secrets." The silky voice let out a sigh audible through the com-link.  
"If you say it must be so. Now tell me, what is it you have for me?"  
"A high quality Ynarian gem, perfect red coloration and brilliant luster. I've heard it is Jabba's favorite, or was, and it's easy to see why."   
"That is very interesting," said the silky voice slowly, "but what use do I have for a pretty stone?"   
"Come now," the gruff voice said scoldingly, "don't try to be smart. Both you and I know of your dealings with inner system aristocrats like the Oolra. I'd say you'd have no trouble finding a use for this pretty stone."   
Indeed the silky voiced dealer knew very well that this gem was extremely valuable to him in his business with the Oolra, but what he didn't know was how in space anyone else could know that. It was really quite unsettling that this thief he knew practically nothing of seemed to know everything about him. There was a moment's pause as he thought this over.  
"All right," said the silky voice at last with an air of defeat, "name your price."  
"That's better," said the gruff voice, changing to a more friendly tone (if such a harsh vocalization could be called friendly). "Considering the rarity of the gem and the possible 150,000 credits you may receive for it from some Oolrani collector I'd say 100,000 credits is quite fair, wouldn't you?"  
"Y-yes," said the shocked silky voice. Then regaining some composure, the silky voice asked, "Just out of curiosity, why don't you take the gem out of Hutt space yourself, since you know so well where to sell it?"  
"Stealing is my business," said the gruff voice, "I'll leave the smuggling to you."  
"All right then. Where do you think would be the best location of this transaction?"  
"There's a little shop in Mos Edaan space station that sells a variety of technological antiques. Do you know of the place?"  
"Yes," replied the silky voice calmly.  
"Come tomorrow at midday to that shop and a servant girl will ask you if you would like to see some of their other merchandise. Reply yes, and follow her to the basement area of the shop. There the exchange will be made - 100,000 credits for one Ynarian gem. I trust you will not try anything that would jeopardize our favorable business relationship."  
"Of course, and I trust you'll do the same."  
"Of course," barked the gruff voice, "it is a pleasure doing business with you, honorable Bona Shaiir."  
"And it is a pleasure doing business with you, my mysterious friend, though I wish I could meet you face to face."  
"Perhaps someday you will..." With that the gruff-voiced thief cut off the com-link and there was silence. Bona Shaiir sat for a moment in thought, and then stood and walked out of the room. An old friend had stopped by in town claiming to need his help, so for the moment Bona forgot about his strange business relations and went to meet his friend at the space station.  
Meanwhile, on the other side of the com-link the thief expertly removed the voice modifier from her mouth and leaned forward with a smile to gaze again at her sparkling red prize. Her voice back to normal, she spoke to no one with a tone of amusement.  
"Perhaps we'll meet face to face someday sooner than you think, Honorable Bona Shaiir, perhaps someday sooner than you think..."   
  
Silus:  
Silus's mind felt numb as he gathered all the things he could carry as fast as he could and tried to comprehend what he was getting himself into. He left the palace immediately, taking a route known only to him and the other palace security to avoid detection. When he was out of the palace he hopped into his personal speeder, and without any idea where he was going, flew into the desert sunset. It was not at all a relaxing experience, racing away from most likely death at Jabba's hand to most likely death at the hand of cutthroats and villains. Silus was still wondering whether he should have stayed at the palace when he found himself in some small town on the outskirts of Mos Edaan space station. Still, he thought as his speeder decelerated, if he had stayed he would be killed as soon as Jabba arrived in about another hour from now. This way he could live a little longer, or at least try to.   
As soon as Silus entered the small town he found a ship dealer who was just about to close shop for the day. He wouldn't need his speeder so Silus sold it to the dealer for less than it was worth, but at least now he had some cash. After a few minutes of wandering around the town and being eyed warily by its rather unseemly inhabitants, Silus found an inn of some sort and stepped inside.  
"Choto maputini?" Asked the innkeeper suspiciously. It was a thin but tough-looking brown creature with cracked and dried skin and two red eyes that slit vertically. Silus had never seen such a creature before, and was startled for a moment. Then he realized the innkeeper had spoken to him in Bocce, and trying to remember the few words he had learned of the language, he made a hesitant reply.  
"Kosi, da tofa naro basic?" At this the innkeeper's small mouth opened wide to reveal three rows of stained blue teeth, and he made a hacking noise. Silus could hardly disguise his revulsion at what as best he could tell was the innkeeper's laugh, although certainly not a friendly one.  
"Yes," said the innkeeper between hacks, "if what you meant to say is do I understand basic, then yes." The innkeeper continued laughing/hacking for a moment while Silus tried to force a smile and wondered what the blue suns he had said in Bocce. When the innkeeper was finally finished, Silus was blushing as he spoke.  
"I would like a room for the night, and something to eat if it's not too much trouble."  
"100 credits, room's up the stairs on the far left," said the innkeeper as he snatched up a flat disk riddled with holes in his clawed, three-digit hand and held it out to Silus, "you can get what you want at the bar, no charge." Silus looked behind him in the direction the innkeeper had indicated and saw a hodgepodge of different aliens and a few humans in various states of depression, rage and drunkenness. Maybe he wasn't so hungry after all, Silus thought. He turned back around to face the innkeeper.   
"Thank you," said Silus as he took the disk from the innkeeper and handed him the credits. The innkeeper grunted at the thanks, and immediately busied himself with the money.   
As Silus walked down the grimy hallway and up the stairs he noticed more and more an unpleasant odor that seemed to seep through the walls and thrive in the hot and strangely humid air of the inn. When he got to his room he was at first unsure what to do with the disk that had been given to him, but after a little experimentation he discovered it unlocked his room when pressed against a small triangular panel and turned it. As he did the plain black door opened with a grinding noise, and Silus beheld the plainest and dirtiest room he had ever seen.   
The only light was from a small circular window on the far wall, which was now useless because of the growing darkness of night. A flat, stained floor mat that Silus assumed was a bed occupied the far-left corner and a wooden table and chair occupied the far right.  
"It could be worse," Silus said aloud, though he didn't believe it for a moment. He had paid for the room though, so he might as well use it. He entered and shut the door, then moved slowly over to the bed and lay down to try to get some sleep. As that attempt failed, he tried to look on the bright side of things. Filthy as it was, the hotel was so common and out of the way that it offered the protection of ambiguity. Jabba would be at the palace just now, Silus thought. If Silus had stayed he would be dead by now. At least by leaving the palace he could have one more night's sleep in a dirty, broken-down hotel, knowing that if anyone at the palace had seen him go (which was most likely) he'd awake to a blaster at his forehead. Then again, that wasn't a very comforting thought.   
  
Majiri:  
Following the months of tedious planning and preparation the past few days of actually executing one of her greatest thefts to date had been quite exciting, but now that things were settling down again Majiri felt the usual boredom begin to set in. She sat alone in the basement of her technological antique shop and let out a sigh with her head in her hands. The faint lighting of the room caught the sparkle of the Ynarian gem in its open case on the table in front of her.  
"That's the problem with being such a great thief, you know," she said to the gem as if it were a close friend, "there's never any challenge in it." She paused for a moment, and blinked her bright silver-gray eyes.  
"Maybe I should have left a some calling card or some trail for the guards to follow. It'd make life more interesting if they'd at least try to catch me."  
Majiri began drumming her fingers on the arm of her chair. She was restless, and she knew she would not sleep before the transaction with Bona Shaiir tomorrow. It was time to go out, to find some action, and maybe even celebrate her success. But first, of course, she had to take the usual steps to hide her true appearance, and in turn her identity. It was extra insurance against ever being caught or even recognized while outside of the shop, and she'd gotten so used to changing identity every time she went out that it seemed a part of her normal routine. Like with stealing, disguising herself was a part of Majiri, and also like with stealing she had to admit, she was good at it.   
Within ten minutes the transformation was complete. She had become just one of the many strange characters who traversed the surface of Tatooine. The costume she had chosen was one of her favorites because it was a design she had personally created. There was a worn facemask with insect-like eyes and two black tubes connecting to a filtering contraption on the back of the suit. The suit itself was made of leathery brown material with some gray plating on the shoulders, chest, and arms. The most important thing about her costume was that it disguised her perfectly; the fasemask and suit cloaked her voice, appearance, and even her scent from would-be enemies.   
There was just one more precaution she had to take. Leaving the gem in the shop would be a problem if someone broke in while she was gone, and it was also too risky to take it with her through Mos Edaan. Majiri's solution to this was a counterfeit Ynarian gem. It had cost less than 50 credits in a backward space-station marketplace, but at first glance it looked real enough to fool most amateur gemologists. There was also a tiny transmitter inside its case that Majiri could activate that would alert her with a beeping noise in the almost invisible earpiece she always wore if it was opened.   
Majiri closed the case with the real gem in it and placed it within an antiquated radio communications system, one of the many pieces of outdated junk in the basement. Then she grabbed the counterfeit gem in the identical case, activated the transmitter, and placed it out on the table where the real gem had sat moments before. Just in case anyone came looking for the gem they would find the fake one immediately and open it, which would let Majiri know someone was snooping around the shop. It was a complex security system, but Majiri knew she couldn't be too careful with a gem worth 100,000 credits. Plus, the counterfeit gem would come in handy tomorrow if Bona Shaiir tried to double-cross her. Majiri figured that taking care of two mynocks with one stone wasn't a bad deal. So with her costume in place and her Ynarian prize secure for tomorrow, Majiri set out to wander through the many streets of Mos Edaan.   
At first it was a very uninteresting walk and Majiri wondered if it might have been more interesting to stay in her room and stare at the ceiling. It was nice to get out into the fresh air, but the face mask did not allow her to really enjoy that fresh air, and the sights and sounds of the city were just as they always were: dusty, ugly and boring. There were just the usual merchants and scum in the streets, and as night was falling it seemed as though her coming here had been a waste of time. But just as she was approaching the very edge of Mos Edaan and considering finding the nearest cantina for some refreshment, she spotted someone who caught her interest.   
A young and not at all unattractive man with brown hair was walking about slowly, seemingly unfamiliar with the city and looking for a place to spend the night. He wore finer clothing than any of the other inhabitants in this area, and so was obviously not one of the common merchants or criminals. By the insignia on the shoulder of his jacket Majiri could tell he was a palace guard, most likely at Jabba's Palace, but she had no idea why such a person would want to come to Mos Edaan. Perhaps he was on vacation from his work, but no, Mos Edaan was hardly the dream vacationing spot, especially for someone traveling alone. But what other reason could there be for his coming here?  
Majiri was still pondering this question long after the young man had found and entered an inn and night had fallen, when she saw something else that sharpened her interest. Coming from the same direction as the young man had come, a large, dog-faced creature with pointed ears came into view. It was a biped that had a fine coat of fur and two hands, each with five clawed fingers that gripped a very large blaster. It wore a slightly shredded pair of black pants with a hole for its tail and a belt that held a set of small, unconcealed throwing knives. Other than that it had no shirt (probably to show off its muscles), no shoes (revealing two clawed and callused feet/paws), and three metallic rings pierced through one of its pointed ears. Majiri's guess was that it wanted to look intimidating, and if so it had succeeded.   
Majiri noticed how it moved about deliberately, glancing at the ground as if searching for footprints and sniffing the air. She thought she remembered hearing about creatures like this one, called Bloodtrackers. They lived on a remote and isolated moon somewhere beyond known territories, and only a handful left their system because they earned good money as skilled bounty hunters. They were fast, agile, strong, and had an excellent sense of smell that was rumored to give them the ability to track their prey through space. Majiri didn't know if she believed such rumors, but one thing she did know: if a Bloodtracker was after her, she would have to be extra careful.   
For the moment though she was wearing her scent-proof costume, so Majiri knew there was no harm in watching it to see what it did. Its nose twitched a few more times as it moved toward the inn. Then it stopped and drew back its lips in what seemed like a smile, revealing canines that could slice through bone. Whoever it was looking for, it had found them, and they were inside that inn.   
Perhaps it was intuition or perhaps it was some inkling of the mystical force she'd heard of in stories, but somehow Majiri knew that the Bloodtracker was after the young man that had entered the inn moments before. She also knew that unless she moved quickly there was no chance that the young man would live through the night, or even the next few minutes.   
Well, she thought to herself, I wanted some action, and it'll definitely be a challenge to save someone so handsome and helpless from someone so rough and ruthless. But who knows, I might enjoy playing the hero for once.   
  
Keta:  
Keta had been at the palace when the robbery took place, and had decided to find the thief, as well as the Chief of the Palace Guard who had disappeared. It had been all too easy following the guard to this inn, and now all she had to do was capture the man and bring him to the palace. When Jabba arrived he would surely be pleased with Keta's swiftness at bringing back the cowardly guard, and Keta knew that when Jabba had someone to take his anger out on she would be rewarded for her work. Then she could continue in the search for her other, more difficult target, the thief who had actually stolen the gem from the palace and somehow left no trace.   
Keta was frustrated at being unable to track this thief, but it was no matter; he couldn't stay hidden forever. He would make a mistake sooner or later, leave some trail or evidence, and in the end Keta always won. It would be a pleasure hunting down so skilled an adversary, but first things first. Keta entered the inn.   
A strange looking creature that must be the innkeeper eyed Keta from behind a counter as she walked in, but she ignored him. She glanced around quickly and saw that her target was not here, but his scent was still in the air. He must already be in one of the rooms. She could also smell the fear of the bar's other occupants. She smiled at them menacingly, showing off her fierce canines, and laughed inwardly when they shrank back. Enough fun, Keta thought, it was time to get the man and be done with him. She moved towards the counter to get the key to his room from the innkeeper.   
Just then someone wearing a full-body leather suit and a black facemask entered the inn and approached the innkeeper before Keta. Keta was angry, but it was only a minor stall and she was watching the entrance of the inn. The Chief of the Palace Guard had no way out.   
"Choto maputini?"  
"Panli, kasara dehka."  
"Dehka? Sho bash, kora bash nittacho."  
"Sa, genla pintarona."  
The two were speaking in a language Keta could not understand, which bothered her. It disturbed Keta more when the innkeeper looked at her, but at least their conversation didn't take very long. After a quick transaction the stranger in body armor paid the innkeeper for a key and went up the stairs. Keta then stepped up to the innkeeper.  
"Give me the key to the room of the one who walked in here a few moments ago, the human with the insignia of the palace guard. He is wanted by Jabba the Hutt and I have come to take him to Jabba."  
"Kunachi tou?" said the innkeeper. It blinked its red eye slits and raised its clawed hands in the air innocently. Keta frowned.   
"Every innkeeper in Tatooine must know some basic to run their business, and that includes you. Now stop fooling around and give me the key to his room."  
"Sotari ko. Deyla chita tou." Again the innkeeper raised its three-clawed hands in the air. Keta was growing tired of this.   
"Give me the key to his room," Keta said through bared teeth, "or I will injure you." Instead of looking frightened the innkeeper laughed, revealing jagged blue teeth. This creature was obviously not one to be won by force.   
"Fine," Keta said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out 100 credits and held them out to the innkeeper.   
"Now give me the key," Keta said.  
"Hmm," said the innkeeper, "now you speak my language, but you do not speak it as well as the one who just came through."  
"What do you mean?" Keta asked. "The one in the facemask?"  
"Yes. That one spoke very well," the innkeeper took the credits, grabbed a key and held it out to Keta. "Here's the key, but if I understand what's going on I think you are too late to catch your palace guard."  
Keta snarled at the innkeeper and snatched the key with a malevolent glare, but the innkeeper only began laughing again. Keta did not see what was so funny. She started up the stairs where she had seen the stranger in the facemask go.  
  
Silus:  
Silus hadn't been asleep long when the sound of his door grinding open and then closed woke him up. Dazed with drowsiness, he pondered how someone could have gotten his room key, when suddenly the pressure of someone's hand over his mouth woke him up fully and he remembered where he was and why. He could feel leathery glove grip his face tightly, preventing him from crying out, while another glove pinned both his arms down. Terror rising, he tried to look to see whoever it was who had come to kill him, but couldn't get up. As Silus tried to struggle the stranger spoke in an insect-like, buzzing voice that hissed in his ear.   
"If you are quiet and cooperate there is a good chance you will survive longer than the next few minutes."   
Well, that sounded fair to Silus. He stopped struggling and nodded his agreement eagerly. One of the gloved hands released his mouth slowly, and when Silus didn't call out the other hand freed his arms. He sat up and turned to see his captor - someone in a facemask, but no one he recognized from the palace. The fact that this person hadn't killed him straight off was enough information for the moment.   
"Get up," the masked stranger commanded. Silus obeyed immediately and watched curiously as the other shoved the filthy mattress out of the corner. A few exposed insects scurried out of the way.  
"You know," said the masked stranger, "you really could have picked a nicer place to stay." This sudden change of tone surprised Silus, but he certainly didn't mind it. The masked stranger then got down on hands and knees and began shuffling around on the floor like he had lost something. It was just too bizarre for Silus to sit and watch silently.   
"What are you doing?"   
"Saving your life," was the reply.  
"Oh," said Silus, "really. And how are you doing that by crawling around on the bug-infested floor?" Just then the stranger seemed to have found what he was looking for. He brushed away a thick layer of dust and dirt in a small area and Silus was shocked to see four small lines in the floor in the shape of a square.  
"Here it is," said the stranger, "I knew that innkeeper wouldn't lie for 750 credits." He then pulled up at where the line was and a small trapdoor opened in the floor. The stranger then stood up and motioned for Silus to enter the hole in the floor.  
"Why should I go down there?" Silus asked.   
"Because there is a Bloodtracker outside who will be here any moment and wants to kill you." Silus shrugged.  
"Fair enough." Silus started down the hole, grabbing blindly for the handholds as it grew too dark to see. After he was about five feet down the stranger also started climbing in, pulling the mattress back over as he shut the trapdoor. Now they were alone, climbing down the dark, narrow hole to a location Silus could not begin to guess at.  
  
Keta:  
The innkeeper had to be mistaken; there was no way that the masked stranger and palace guard could have escaped from the room. Still, Keta ran up the stairway and down the length of the hallway to get to the room. Yes, Keta could smell the young guard on the key panel to the room, as well as the leathery scent off of the material from the stranger's glove. They had to be inside. There was no way…  
As the door opened fully Keta's eyes widened and nostrils flared. She sniffed the air desperately. The scents were still there and yet, the two figures they belonged to were gone. Keta's horror turned to quieted rage as she began to search the room swiftly and meticulously, with all her acute senses fully employed in finding evidence of where they had gone. There! As she turned over the dirtied mattress in the corner Keta saw where the dust and dirt of the floor had been cleared, and there was a trapdoor in the floor. Quickly, she lifted it and began down the hole.   
The handholds made a soft, rapid ping sound that reverberated in the hole as Keta descended about 15 feet. When she reached the bottom and touched the ground Keta was quite displeased at the sticky substance sticking to the bottoms of both her foot pads. Though she found it most comfortable, there were sometimes disadvantages to walking barefoot.   
At that moment, however, Keta did not have time to think about the floor; the innkeeper had stalled her for almost two full minutes and every second she waited her prey and his masked helper were getting further away. Keta scrambled around in the dark for a moment until she found a latch. When she opened it the only ones to greet her were the streets of Mos Edaan and night sky of Tatooine.   
Keta followed their scents and tracks, knowing they could not have gotten very far. The tracks led her all through the town on a winding trail that led through back alleys, crowded streets and shops ranging from food vendors to chemical weapons dealers. Either they were lost, or the masked stranger was trying to throw her off their track. Very clever, thought Keta, but he would not succeed.   
Finally, Keta came upon an alley way where their scents were very fresh. At last she had them. Only, when she turned the corner there was nothing in sight but a hastily scribbled note. Not seeing the guard or the masked stranger anywhere, Keta picked up the note and read it.  
"Sorry Bloodtracker, but I can't have you following me.   
-M"   
For a brief moment Keta pondered the meaning of the cryptic note, when suddenly she noticed a thick vapor filling the air. She looked down and saw that the note had been covering a time release gas bomb, and by the dizziness she felt along with the burning sensation in her nose and eyes, Keta realized that it had just released some sort of anesthetic/stunning substance. She tried to cover her mouth and nose, but she was already slipping into unconsciousness. As she fell onto her back all Keta saw were the shadows of two figures escaping up a safety ladder on the side of one of the buildings adjacent to the alleyway. Her last infuriated thought was that despite her skill, despite her experience, despite her training, somehow this masked stranger had beaten her, and before she could even begin to guess how, everything went completely dark. 


	2. Chapter 2

Majiri:  
"That was way too close," panted the young palace guard as he followed quickly behind Majiri through the dusty streets.   
Indeed it had been one of Majiri's closest calls; not only did she save the guard from the Bloodtracker - she did it right under its nose! Her heart was still pumping vigorously, and underneath the facemask her eyes sparkled wildly. She wanted to reply something like "yeah it was, wasn't it", but instead exercised a little self-restraint and kept moving silently. The palace guard spoke up again.  
"So who was that Bloodtracker anyway?" At this question Majiri stopped walking and turned to look at him.  
"You mean you don't know who was after you?" She asked, her voice made strange and buzzing by the facemask. He looked back at her with a look of confusion and licked his dry lips.  
"No," he answered earnestly, shaking his head. Then he gave a short laugh. "I don't even know what a Bloodtracker is, and here I am following you around when I don't even know who you are. So who are you anyway?"  
"The middle of the street in Mos Edaan is not the best place to hold this kind of conversation - we can talk about this once we get indoors." Majiri turned and started to walk again. What was she going to tell this guy anyway? Certainly she couldn't tell him the truth. The guard continued to follow her but didn't let the question slide.  
"Come on," he said, "I need to know something about you: a name, a nickname, anything!"  
"All right," said Majiri, thinking quickly, "a name's not too much too ask. Breka."   
Well, it wasn't the truth but it wasn't exactly a lie either. Majiri didn't say that her name was Breka, so what did it matter if this guard thought that was her name? Besides, she couldn't tell him the truth. That could, and would, ruin everything that Majiri had worked for in an instant. She had to maintain a cover, with this guard or anyone else, at least until the exchange had been made. Still, the half-lie did leave a little echo of guilt.  
"Okay then, Breka," he said, "how long 'til we get wherever we're going?"  
"Funny you should ask - this is it."  
They had arrived at the back of her technological antique shop. Majiri punched in a code and the back door made a soft grinding noise as it slid open. She walked inside and the guard followed hesitantly. Majiri shut the door and reset the door's code (she always made a new code every trip), then turned to look at the guard. She watched as he glanced around at the piles of merchandise for a moment, then looked straight into her facemask.   
"Welcome to my humble abode," Majiri said, "now why don't we get a few details straight?"  
"Sounds like a very good idea," he said with a slight hint of sarcasm that Majiri could have imagined.   
"First of all," said Majiri, "let's introduce ourselves like civilized beings."   
"Um, okay," he said. The word "beings" instead of "people" seemed to put him a little on edge, but he shook it off. "My name is Silus."  
"Silus," Majiri repeated, "I'm Breka." PANG - the guilt hit a little harder when she made the half-lie a complete one. "So what brought you to that nasty inn tonight? Mos Edaan slums don't seem the proper place for a palace guard. You are a palace guard aren't you?" She pointed to the insignia on his jacket.  
"Well," he said, "I was the Chief of the Palace Guard, until this morning." Majiri cleared some odds and ends off of two cushioned chairs and set them facing each other.   
"Here, have a seat," she said. Silus sat down and she did likewise. "Now please, go on."  
"Like I said, it happened this morning. Everything was going fine until one of the guards noticed Jabba's Ynarian gem missing."  
"Wait a minute," said Majiri, her mind racing, "you were the Chief of the Palace Guard at Jabba's Palace?"  
"Yes," he said. She should have known - she'd seen the palace guard insignia and suspected he was from Jabba's palace but for some reason the thought hadn't connected until now.   
"Ah, of course," said Majiri, "sorry to interrupt you. Please continue."   
"The gem was just gone, no trace of whoever stole it." Though still in shock over the realization of Silus's identity, Majiri couldn't help but smile at her handiwork under her facemask.  
"You mean, no one had any leads as to who stole the gem?" She asked.  
"Not at all," continued Silus, shaking his head, "it was like the thing just vanished into thin air." He threw up his arms to demonstrate. Well, Majiri thought, at least that was some good news - she had made a clean getaway.   
"So the gem disappeared, then what happened?"  
"I got out of there fast," said Silus. "Luckily Jabba hadn't arrived back at the palace yet, because if he had been there at the time he would have had my head."  
"But you did nothing. Why would Jabba punish you?"  
"I guess it was my responsibility," said Silus. "Jabba liked that gem, so if there's no thief to take the blame for stealing it the Chief of the Palace Guard is blamed. Someone has to give Jabba the satisfaction of revenge, and I was the next in line."  
"I'm sorry," said Majiri, and she meant it.   
"Hey, it's not like you could have done anything," he said with a bit of a smile. "Anyway, I hightailed it out of there and stayed at that inn, and from there on I think you should do the explaining. Who was that Bloodtracker?"  
"My best guess is that it was a bounty hunter hoping to earn some credits by bringing you back to the palace. Probably trying to make a quick name for itself so it could get more work."  
"Okay, that makes sense. So why didn't you let it?"  
"You mean, why didn't I let it take you back to the palace?"  
"Yeah, I mean, unless I'm mistaken we haven't met before, so why save my life?" Majiri tried to think of a reply, but she couldn't quite find words for her feelings. She had thought of doing it just for fun, but that couldn't have been reason enough to risk tangling with a Bloodtracker. So she asked herself the question, why had she saved his life?  
"Perhaps I'll tell you that later," she said at last.  
"All right," said Silus with a shrug, "I mean, I certainly don't mind that you did. But you're sure the Bloodtracker won't be able to find you here?"  
"Yes," said Majiri, "pretty sure. The gas bomb I bought at the chemical weapons shop to use on the Bloodtracker contained Gliclorisin B7. It's a powerful anesthetic and also numbs any extra-sensitive nerves. Our friend the Bloodtracker won't wake up for a while, and when it does its nose will be as numb as ice."  
"Will that wear off?"  
"Eventually, but with all the dust storms around here it shouldn't be able to track our scents."  
"Wow," said Silus, "you sure know a lot about chemical weapons and Bloodtrackers and whatnot for a plain old shopkeeper in Mos Edaan."  
"Well," said Majiri, "one gets around in one's time." Silus raised an eyebrow slightly, and Majiri wondered if she had said too much, but then he just smiled, seeming to dismiss a thought.  
"So what now?" He asked. It was a good question. Majiri quickly mapped out what she needed to do in her mind.   
The exchange with Bona Shaiir was tomorrow, but she couldn't have it here with the Chief of Jabba's Palace Guard around, even if he was an ex-palace guard. Also, she had planned to make the exchange in her best disguise so she would need to convince Silus that this disguise was another person staying at the antique shop. That way when she went out to meet Bona Shaiir in disguise it would not seem like a completely new person had appeared. Within seconds Majiri's plan was complete. She would arrange tonight to meet with Bona Shaiir at a different location, and now she would introduce Silus to her other disguise.  
"Now," she said while standing up, "you are probably exhausted, as am I. You may look around the shop if you'd like, and I'll send up my servant to prepare a room for you in a moment."   
"That would be wonderful," said Silus. Majiri walked over to the door that led to the basment stairway.   
"And I hope you don't mind staying here tomorrow while I'm out on business?"  
"Not at all," said Silus, "and by the way, thanks for saving my life and all."  
"You're welcome," replied Majiri. She closed the door behind her and went down the dark stairway. Once in her basement room she wasted no time in changing into the disguise she planned on using the next day for the exchange with Bona Shaiir. It was her least-used disguise and yet her most effective because no one would ever recognize it: she would go as herself.  
  
Silus:  
That Breka is quite an interesting character, thought Silus as he glanced at the different objects in the darkened shop. The store and everything in it looked authentic, but Silus didn't buy that Breka was just an antique dealer from Mos Edaan. There was just too much mystery about him for Silus not to be suspicious.   
For one thing, Breka wouldn't tell Silus why he had saved him from the Bloodtracker. Besides why, how would an average merchant know how to bribe an innkeeper, which streets in Mos Edaan to wind through to complicate tracking, and even what chemical compound was needed to knock out a Bloodtracker? It didn't make sense to Silus. There had to be more that Breka wasn't telling him, and if Breka wouldn't tell him, then Silus would find out for himself.   
Silus was just thinking of this when he heard a creak from the door that Breka had closed a few moments before. He remembered that Breka was going to send up a servant to set up a room for Silus, and decided to question the servant about Breka. Silus turned to speak with the servant to see what he could find out and his jaw immediately dropped.   
Before him stood a rather beautiful young woman with dark black hair and bright silver-gray eyes that met with his for only a second. Then she blinked as if out of a trance and looked downwards, bowing her head.   
"I am Breka's servant Majiri, and you must be Silus. It is good to meet you," she said. Her voice was calm and soothing to Silus, especially compared to all the barks and grunts of voices he had been hearing recently.  
"Is something wrong?" She asked, looking up at him. He blushed as he realized how rudely he was behaving and quickly shut his mouth.  
"Uh, yes," he stammered, "I mean no. I'm sorry, I guess it's just been a while since I saw another human."  
"No apologies necessary," said Majiri. "If you will please follow me there is an upstairs room that you may stay in."   
Silently he followed her and together they ascended the staircase. Majiri opened a door at the top of the staircase and Silus followed her in. She flicked on a lamp-switch and began to clear away dusty piles of antiques as Silus watched quietly. He remembered his intentions to interrogate the servant (although somehow he hadn't expected 'the servant' to be like this girl Majiri).  
"So," he said, "who is this Breka really?"  
"Excuse me?" Said Majiri without looking up from her work.  
"Well, what's his deal? He can't just be some antique shop owner."  
"And why not?" Said Majiri with a quiet smile. Still she would not even glance at him as he stood there.  
"I don't know," said Silus, "there's something that doesn't quite fit. You've probably known him for a while. Is there anything he's not telling me?"  
"It's not my business to tell such things," said Majiri. "Besides, why would I tell a complete stranger?"  
"But there is some secret," said Silus, trying to catch her eyes again. Majiri just sighed and kept moving away old clutter covering something that Silus now recognized as a bed.   
"Well, anyway, we aren't complete strangers, are we? Breka told you my name was Silus."   
"That's true," she answered, "we know each others names, but I'm afraid that wont earn you any more information about Breka."  
"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that," said Silus.   
"Then what did you mean?"  
"Just that I don't want us to be complete strangers, that's all."   
When she didn't answer, Silus moved over to help her with a large old microwave contraption. As they lifted it together he finally caught those sparkling eyes and when they put it down he spoke. It was as if he was listening to someone else say the words - they came without thought or hesitation.  
"You know," he said, "you are far too beautiful to be a servant." Majiri was caught off-guard by this. Her mouth moved but no sounds came out for a second or two until she blushed and moved towards the doorway.  
"If you need anything just knock on the door downstairs," she said with a quick glance back at him. "Sleep well, Silus."  
"Thank you," he said. "Goodnight, Majiri."   
With that she bowed and left the room, and Silus began to think. His conversation with Majiri had only proven two things. Now he knew that there was something definitely going on that Breka wouldn't tell him about. However, the second thing he had discovered concerned him much more than this. He realized that for the first time in his life, he was in love.   
  
Meanwhile:   
"So you couldn't find any way inside the palace?" asked Leia as she sat in the co-pilot seat of the Millenium Falcon.  
"Not unless we were invisible," answered Lando. Chewbacca let out a low moan. "But hey, don't worry. Today I found an old friend around here who says he might know someone who can get us in."  
"Really," said Leia, "who's that?"  
"Just a sleazy scum-bag I used to work with - an old smuggler called Bona Shaiir."  
"Sounds like a charming character," said Leia, "but if he knows someone who can help us get Han out I don't care who he is."  
"Well," said Lando, "he says this friend of his is one of the more elusive types, but he'll try to arrange it so that we can meet tomorrow. In the meantime, let's all try to get some sleep."  
  
Majiri:  
As she shut the door to Silus' room Majiri felt dizzy as if she'd taken to big a breath. Her usually perfectly ordered thoughts seemed to have evaporated and were replaced by thoughts and feelings she couldn't describe. She wanted to laugh or cry or both and had no idea why.  
"Okay Majiri," she said to herself in a hushed voice, "let's remember what's happening."   
Only, she didn't seemed to care so much about what was happening as what had just happened. As she tried to think what she was supposed to do next she only came up with the memory of the past few minutes. Silus and his eyes and how he'd spoken to her and what he'd said - she was overwhelmed to the point she had to close her eyes. Desperately she searched her mind for some solid ground, some reason and meaning for it all.   
"I was meeting Silus so, so that I wouldn't seem suspicious tomorrow when I leave to, leave to meet Bona Shaiir," she said carefully, piecing it all back together. "So I met Silus and, and then, and now, now I…" she concentrated hard for a moment trying to finish the thought, and then suddenly opened her eyes.  
"I think I love him."   
Almost unable to believe what she had just said, Majiri started quickly for the stairs but stopped at the top. Her sudden confession had brought forth another thought; she loved Silus, and she had lied to him. No, it was worse than that. She had stolen the gem that had placed the bounty on his head in the first place and then given him false identities to keep him from finding out the truth he had every right to know. Disgusted with herself, she glanced back at the room he was sleeping in.  
"Some hero I made tonight," she said, "I destroyed his life and wont even tell him." But as much as she hated the idea, Majiri reminded herself that she couldn't tell him. She had stolen the gem and until she'd finished what she'd started he simply could not know the truth.   
Looking down at the floor, she pushed all thoughts of Silus from her mind. Right now all she had to think about was contacting Bona Shaiir to rearrange their meeting place for the next day. Only then would she be able to make the exchange, and only once she'd made the exchange could she tell Silus everything.  
Slowly she walked down the stairway toward the door to the basement and let out a sigh.  
"Well," she said, "time to take care of business." She opened the door and walked down the basement stairway. First she noticed the fake Ynarian gem's case exposed on the table. She nodded to it as if it were a diligent soldier standing at attention and then walked over to the far right side of the basement. Then she grabbed her voice modifier and com-link from behind an out-of-date spacehelmet. She blew on the voice modifier to clean it a little and carefully placed it in her mouth.  
"Testing, testing," she muttered. There was too much static and the voice still sounded like her own, so Majiri made a few adjustments.   
"Testing, testing," she said again, and this time it was as if a whole other creature had spoken. Despite the fact that Majiri had programmed the voice modifier personally and used it plenty of times, hearing the gruff bark of a voice coming from her mouth still seemed strange and unreal. She took a few moments to focus herself, then pressed the button that would alert Bona Shaiir that she wanted to speak with him. The com-link beeped once every five seconds or so until a familiar voice sounded.  
"Hello?" Said the silky voice.  
"Good evening, Bona Shaiir. I hope I am not disturbing you?"  
"Oh no, not at all," replied Bona Shaiir. "In fact, there is something I wanted to ask of you."  
"Really?" Said Majiri curiously.  
"Yes, but it can wait. Now why is it you contacted me? Is there something wrong with the gem?"  
"No," said Majiri. "I have the gem here and it is perfectly fine. However, circumstances have changed. If it is no great trouble to you I'd like to move the location of the exchange for, security reasons."  
"Not a trouble at all," said Bona Shaiir, "where would you have it instead?"  
"How about Shlickitt's Pub near the space station in Mos Edaan?"  
"That filthy wreck of a place?" Bona Shaiir paused. "Sounds perfect."  
"Good," said Majiri, "I'm glad you think so. Now, you mentioned something you wanted from me?"  
"Yes," replied Bona Shaiir. "An old friend of mine arrived this morning asking for help with a job. He told me a bit about the situation; the gist of it is that he and a few friends of his want to break a man by the name of Han Solo out of Jabba's Palace. Have you heard of him?"  
"He's the one frozen in carbonite in the main chamber?"  
"Why, yes," said Bona Shaiir, "I should have guessed you'd have known that already. Anyway, they don't know exactly what they're going to do to get him out and, considering your profession and abilities, I thought that perhaps you could assist them."  
"You flatter me," said Majiri. "Is there a specific time and location where I can send my servant to discuss this venture with your friend?"  
"Why not at Shlickitt's Pub, after the exchange has been made of course."  
"Hmm," said Majiri considering his proposition. It would be most convenient if she didn't have to meet Bona Shaiir and his friend at separate locations. At last she asked, "What is your friend's name?"  
"Lando Calrissian," answered Bona Shaiir.  
"Well then, I will send my servant to meet you and Mr. Calrissian at Shlickitt's Pub around 9 o'clock standard time tomorrow. Then you will hand her a card containing 100,000 credits, and she will produce the Ynarian gem."  
"Excellent," said Bona Shaiir.  
"Again, it has been a pleasure doing business with you, honorable Bona Shaiir."  
"And again the same to you," said Bona Shaiir with a short laugh, "and again, I wish we could meet in person." With that Majiri cut the com-link and yawned. She thought she heard a noise and looked around, but heard nothing else. It dawned on her that she'd left the door to the basement open. Again she yawned, and then pulled the voice modifier out of her mouth.  
"I must be more tired than I thought," she said to herself. She slowly climbed the basement stairs, pushed the door fully open and glanced around the shop. She could have sworn she'd heard something, but everything looked just as dusty and boring as normal. Searching for an explanation she remembered the tiny earpiece she was wearing, so well concealed she hadn't given it much thought in the past few hours. She'd known it to make a soft blip occasionally, which she paid no attention to normally. Had that made the sound, or could have been something else? Were her instincts trying to tell her something, or was exhaustion making her more paranoid than normal?  
After one last glance over the store she closed the basement door, then went back down the stairs and laid out a small mat and blanket next to the table with the fake gem's case sitting on it. Finally she set an alarm clock to wake herself up, turned out the one dim lamp lighting the room and collapsed on the mat. It had been a very long day.  
  
Silus:  
Silus had listened closely to the last of Majiri's faintly audible footsteps as she walked down the hallway, paused, and then proceeded down the flight of stairs. Now he sat alone in his room, the silence pressing in on his ears as he thought. For a moment he thought of attempting to get some sleep, but he felt rested enough and besides, how could he sleep not knowing what was going on? What was it Breka was hiding? Why was Majiri helping him keep it hidden?   
At this he stood up - he had to find out. He would go downstairs, knock on the door Majiri had told him about and ask Breka flat-out what was going on. He would tell Breka that he was tired of this veil of mystery and simply couldn't stand it any longer. Mind made up, Silus opened the door and stepped out into the dark hallway.   
For a brief moment he felt the urge to step right back into his room and forget about it, but he had to know the truth. He walked quickly down the hall to the stairs and immediately noticed that the basement door Majiri had said to knock on was slightly ajar. Slowly, quietly now, he walked down the stairs until he was standing right next to the door. From behind it he heard a muffled voice speaking which he had never heard before. It was a harsh, barking sort of voice that brought to mind some ferocious beast. Silus listened as closely as he could now, but could still only pick up snatches of what seemed to be a conversation between this first gruff voice and another over com-link. He thought he heard the name Bona Shaiir, and was wondering if this was the one on the com-link when he overheard a phrase that peeked his interest.  
"I have the gem here…" said the gruff voice. Silus' eyes widened. Whoever this was couldn't be talking about the Ynarian gem, or could they? Silus listened harder, hardly breathing, but it seemed the gruff-voiced stranger in the basement had instinctively lowered his voice. It was either that or the thoughts racing through Silus' head that kept him from hearing anything else clearly. His mind was spinning, but he did manage to catch something else about a meeting tomorrow at a pub involving the gem.  
Judging the conversation near an end, Silus moved quickly back up the stairs and shut his door perhaps a little too loudly. It was all just so unexpected. There was someone else at this antique shop that neither Breka nor Majiri had told him about. And from what he could piece together from the conversation, Silus knew that this person or creature had the Ynarian gem.   
Suddenly the conversation Silus had with Breka came to his mind - Breka had seemed interested in who had stolen the gem, hadn't he? Or rather, if anyone had any leads as to who stole the gem. Why hadn't Silus seen it before? Breka had the skills and brains to steal Silus from the Bloodtracker. Stealing the Ynarian gem must have been easy for him.  
It was as if puzzle pieces had just fallen into place, and if Silus had tried to imagine any explanations of Breka's secretive behavior, they would not have come close to the picture that was now forming in his mind. Breka was the thief working for the gruff-voiced stranger downstairs, who was probably some sort of criminal leader. Breka had stolen the Ynarian gem, and now the leader had it here. All Breka had said was that he was going out on business tomorrow, but now Silus understood this to be business involving the gem. He was probably trying to arrange a way to smuggle the gem off-planet.  
But what about Majiri? She had been keeping this from him, but did that mean she was involved in all this plotting? It seemed unlikely to Silus - she must just be trying to save her own neck and protect her boss. Either that was the truth or Silus was just choosing to believe what he wanted to, because he wanted to believe that she was innocent. A thought then came to his mind then that had been haunting him since he had spoken with Majiri - did she feel as he did, or…? But no, Silus could not afford to entertain such thoughts until he had taken care of more pressing matters at hand.   
Another very important question remained. If everything he'd theorized so far was all true, then why had Breka saved his life? It seemed clear now he must have wanted to make sure that no one at the palace was onto him. Silus had told Breka exactly what he wanted to know, and yet…why wouldn't Breka just get rid of him once he had given up the information? What reason did the criminal leader have for Silus' continued existence? Was it that he wanted to turn Silus over to Jabba himself for a few extra credits, and if so would Breka or Majiri be able to or even want to protest?   
This new information had brought more questions than answers. However, at least now Silus was aware of the danger and saw a clearer path ahead of him. If he wanted to ensure his survival he could not stay here with an unknown criminal leader and he could not stick around town or try to get off-planet with bounty hunters on his tail. That left him with the option of the one place he had so recently escaped from, and his ticket in was the gem lying just two floors beneath him. It was insane going back to Jabba's Palace, even if he did manage to get the gem, but what other options did he have now if Breka's boss was going to turn him in anyway? He at least had to try to get to Jabba with the gem first, and tomorrow when Breka was away could be the only chance he got.  
"I'm crazy," Silus muttered to himself as he climbed into bed and turned out the small lamp in the room, "but if I can help it I'm not going to be dead."  
  
Keta:  
A dark fog was lifting from Keta's mind. Gradually, the feeling of the dusty ground beneath her was returning, along with the slight prickle of the sand against her bare back. Suddenly she was fully alert, although still groggy and aching as she lay on the ground, and she heard voices above her that could only belong to two of the despicable creatures known as Jawas. She tried to open her eyes, but they burned slightly so she kept them closed for the moment and just listened to the two chattering Jawas.   
"Yanloo mato…hutini?"   
"Kioska nichu, banlee. Mai kosini lu."  
Something hard was poking her in the side, probably a stick of wood. It stopped for a moment, and then the voices spoke again.  
"Shawona, ki hoti luta!"   
"Shabachi, yno tali kosa hutini…"  
With that a small, shaky hand began fingering at one of the rings on Keta's ear as if to try and remove it. This could not be tolerated. Using all of her might, Keta tried to summon a bark to frighten the creatures off. It came out as more of a cough or wheeze, but it had worked. The hand instantly let go of the earring and its owner let out a shriek of surprise. Keta could hear footsteps and the two voices fading into the distance.   
She was alone now. Slowly she pushed herself up to a sitting position, wiped some sand off of herself, and again tried to open her eyes. For a moment she was afraid that the gas bomb had blinded her, but in a moment the stinging subsided and her vision returned. With it came the full memory of what had put her into this situation in the first place.   
By the faint growing light on the horizon she could tell she'd been unconscious for several hours. She noticed the empty gas bomb at her feet, but the note had blown away. Desperately she searched for some tracks or sign of the masked stranger and the palace guard, but no, any tracks that had been left had also been blown away. Trying to pick up a trace of their scent in the air Keta sniffed for the first time since she'd awaken, and smelled nothing. Nothing. She couldn't even feel the air run through her nostrils. There was only the slightest cold prickling sensation.   
Now a rage filled Keta that went beyond anything she had felt before, even her frustration at not being able to track the gem thief. She had been beaten. She had lost what should have been the easiest catch of her life. It was supposed to have been so simple, and yet here she was. Not delivering the palace guard to Jabba but lying senseless and defeated in an alleyway. And it was all because of the creature in the mask. Whoever he was, he had outsmarted her, and Keta hated losing.   
It must be some conspiracy, she thought. The guard helps the thief get into the palace and then he sends someone to save the guard. Unless, maybe, there wasn't someone else involved. The guard helps the thief and then the thief helps the guard. Yes, not a conspiracy, a partnership, and they'd just managed to escape from Keta twice. Keta snarled weakly, stood up and staggered for a moment, then kicked the empty gas bomb shell across the alleyway.   
But no, blind rage was not Keta's way. As she stood in the alleyway taking deep breaths of the cool early morning air, she gathered her strength and her thoughts. If they thought they had lost Keta, she would make them think differently. They were lost for now, perhaps, but she would not end her search. Instinct told her they were not going to try and leave anytime soon, so she would just need a little more patience and perhaps some assistance. Somewhere, sometime they would make a mistake. In the meantime she would go to Jabba, and when they slipped up she would be there, she would be the one to bring them in.  
One defeat was nothing to Keta, for she knew that in the end she always won.  
  
Majiri:  
Majiri woke with a start to the sound of the alarm clock buzzing next to her. It had not been refreshing sleep, but she could not rest any longer. She quickly shut off the alarm clock and turned on the basement light. Within five minutes she was dressed, had the Ynarian gem safely stowed in a bag with a few other necessities, and had hidden every suspicious item in the basement (except the fake gem of course) from view. An old-fashioned but still-operating clock showed that she still had half an hour until her meeting with Bona Shaiir and his friend. She had allowed herself extra time for explaining her leaving for the day to Silus.  
She climbed the basement steps swiftly and closed the door behind her, then proceeded more slowly up the steps to the second floor of the shop. For a moment she paused in front of Silus' room, then knocked on the door softly. After a few seconds the door opened, and there was Silus. Majiri looked into his eyes and noticed immediately the signs of fatigue around them that told of a lack of sleep. He had experienced many troubling experiences lately, and after his last rude awakening she could understand his difficulty in drifting off at night in a strange bed. There was also another look in them, but she quickly looked down as any servant would.   
"Good morning," she said calmly, though she could sense him looking at her still.  
"Oh, um, good morning," he said. Majiri wanted to look up into his eyes again, but that would be breaking character. Furthermore she had the inexplicable fear that if she did she might not be able to look away again.   
"I..." she started, but she couldn't stop thinking of the look in his eyes. After a moment of grasping for the words that had suddenly evaporated she involuntarily looked up at him once more. Though she tried to continue her explanation, nothing more came out after that hesitant 'I', and Silus looked into her face curiously.   
Completely frustrated with the difficulty she was suddenly having she shut her mouth for a moment. Then she gave a short laugh and looked away. Her emotions would make it impossible to speak to Silus directly. Instead she continued speaking to the ground, which was much easier for her to talk to while making eye-contact at the moment.  
"I wanted to inform you that I will be gone today on an errand. Breka has already left and I am to go meet with him, so you will be here by yourself."  
"I see," said Silus, his tone a forced neutral. "And when will you be back?"  
"I do not know that for certain, but I will try to be back as soon as I can."  
"Hm," he said distractedly.   
"Are you all right?"   
"Yes," he said, "it's just that…" He let the sentence hang unfinished.  
"I am sorry for all this," said Majiri earnestly, "all the mystery and secrets. But please believe me, it cannot be helped. After this errand it will all be explained, I promise. Until then, though, you must stay here where it's safe. There are probably still bounty hunters out looking for you."  
"All right," he said at last. "Take care."  
"Goodbye," she said, and with a bow she walked back down the hallway and the stairs. She wondered what had caused Silus' change in behavior. He must suspect something, she thought, and a mixed feeling of longing and dread came over her. After this exchange it would be a relief to be able to tell him the truth, but then again, the truth was that she'd lied.  
  
Silus:  
Silus watched Majiri go down the hallway and disappear down the staircase. He heard the back door grind open and shut as he stood silently in the doorway to his room, thinking over Majiri's words. She had seemed upset or distracted somehow - the way she'd looked away from him and her strained tone of voice - but why was she acting like this?  
The first thing he thought of was guilt, but guilt for what exactly? Maybe she felt bad for not telling him the truth about Breka and his boss, Silus thought. Or maybe it went beyond that. She may have felt guilty because she hadn't told him that Breka's boss was going to hand Silus over to Jabba. That could make a person guilty - knowing someone was going to get it and not telling them.   
It made Silus wonder. What part did Majiri play in all this? Was she an actual innocent servant dragged into the whole mess against her will, or was she just a pawn that Breka's boss was using to keep Silus in line? He was pretty sure he'd heard concern in her voice, but how could Silus tell if it was genuine or just a convincing act? There was just no way to be sure, and he couldn't wait around here pondering any longer.   
Silus walked slowly towards the stairs and then down, listening intently for any other sound in the building, but the only sounds he could hear were his footsteps. Breka and Majiri were gone, and it seemed the leader had left too. He was alone, for now, but he wasn't sure how long that would be true. If his plan to redeem himself was going to work he had to find the gem, and fast.  
He spent the next half-hour rummaging around the shop, but with no luck. There was just too much old junk lying around the place; it would take days to search through it all, and Silus wasn't even sure he had another hour. Dejectedly, Silus sat back in one of the cushioned chairs and let out a sigh. He glanced around the shop, and for the first time noticed something that was so obvious and yet he had overlooked until now: the basement door.  
It was where he'd overheard the com-link conversation about the gem in the first place - why not try it? There was no way it could be more of a hopeless mess than what he'd encountered so far. With that thought Silus stood and approached the door. He knocked softly and there was no answer, not that he'd expected any. After a brief pause he tried the handle, and to his surprise it turned. Not wanting to waste another second, he opened the door. 


	3. Interludicrousness! (har har)

The Endless Search for an Ending and the Hopeless, Wandering Madness It Brought Forth  
  
I wrote this when I had not yet written an ending. As of now the entire story is outlined all the way to the end, which is the farthest (furthest?) I've ever come on a story. I just have to actually write it all now. In the meantime you can read this randomness, which has no bearing on the rest of the story (and I hope it doesn't give away anything). Enjoy!  
  
Keta, Silus, and Majiri sat around a table in the old Mos Edaan bar called Shlickitt's Pub. It was an especially dismal looking place that smelled not unlike a garbage dump. The bartender, a grizzled old human male, was cleaning the counter with an expressionless stare (although it didn't seem to Silus to do much of any good on the various colored stains there). The only other living thing in the room was an unconscious drunk lying face-down on a bench in the corner. Then again, Silus wasn't sure if the drunk even was alive.   
Although he was a bit drowsy Silus was sitting up rather straight, avoiding any contact with the old, foul-smelling table. He watched the other two through heavy eyes. Majiri looked extremely bored and Keta was eyeing her and Silus suspiciously.   
"Wait a minute," said Silus, "aren't you that Bloodtracker that tried to kill me just the other day?"  
"Yes," said Keta with an unfriendly snarl, "and you're the pathetic palace guard that somehow got away from me."  
"Hey, I take that as an insult," said Silus, his pride more than a little crushed by the remark. "And Majiri, what're you doing here?" Majiri shrugged and Keta looked at her for the first time.  
"Do I know you?" Keta asked Majiri suspiciously.  
"No, not yet," said Majiri, "that doesn't come along until I sneak into the palace."  
"What?" Asked Silus. "What do you mean you're going to sneak into the palace?"  
"Oh, of course," said Majiri with an understanding smile, "you guys haven't looked at the outline!" Keta growled a low, threatening growl.  
"What?" Said Majiri.  
"If you don't mind," said Keta, "I don't appreciate being called a 'guy'. I am female you know."  
"Well sorry," said Majiri, adding under her breath, "somebody's a little pushy."  
"I heard that," said Keta.  
"Whoah, people," said Silus, "let's all just relax for a moment." The bartender was staring at them suspiciously, seemingly wondering whether or not he should get out his blaster rifle. The drunk in the corner moaned and rolled over, showing the faintest signs of life. "Now Majiri, you said something about an outline?"  
"Yeah, in fact, the whole darn story's right here," she said, handing them two copies of a fairly thick packet of papers.  
"Wow," said Silus as he flipped through the pages, "this is all about us! Everything that's happened, every detail's right in..." Suddenly he was interrupted as Keta burst out into a barking laugh and pointed to some lines the packet. When she'd finally stopped, she managed a few words.  
"How sweet," she said, teeth gleaming, "there's a section written in here about you two."   
"What?" Said Silus. Majiri blushed terribly and suggested they look at the outline.  
"See," said Majiri as the others read through the outline, "that's what's going to happen."  
"Oh, I get it," said Silus, "but wait a minute, where's the ending?"  
Just then there was a small jingle as a stranger stepped into the pub. The grizzled old bartender raised an eyebrow as the small red-headed figure dressed in a strange shirt and overall ensemble walked in carrying no weapons except maybe the thick-soled shoes on her feet.  
"Hello," she said cheerily, sitting down with the other three. "Ah, I see you've all met and read over the story."  
"How do you know about that?" Asked Keta, obviously not appreciating this feeble creature's intrusion of her private business.  
"I wrote it," said the redhead. The others gave her odd looks, except for Majiri who sat looking rather amused at their confusion.  
"Really," said Silus, "then what happens after all this outlined stuff?"  
"Yes," said Keta, "what happens next?"  
"I was kind of wondering about that too," said Majiri. "Doesn't seem very complete."  
"Well," said the author, "I'm working on it. I have the rough ending planned, but it's not perfectly mapped out, see? I gotta put it in an outline first, then I'll go back and write in the actual stuff. Just needs time."  
"So what happens to us?" Said Keta.  
"Good question," said the author, eyes narrowing at Keta, "These two get to live happily ever after and all, but you..."  
"Spice mines of Kessel," coughed Majiri. "Oh, excuse me, I'm sensitive to the dust." Keta glared at her and then turned to look back at the author.  
"No, I don't think so," said the author. "I'm considering Keta's fate: good or bad, or maybe a mixture of both."  
"Good, or bad or maybe both?" Repeated Silus, his voice sarcastic. "That's a pretty general range, wouldn't you say?" Silus looked as if he was about to laugh and Keta felt much less nervous, even starting to laugh along with him.  
"Great," said Majiri, making a helpless gesture "the author doesn't even know what's going to happen!" The supreme author of their fates was looking more pathetic by the minute.  
"Well I have ideas!" The author nearly shouted, trying to get above their laughter. "Come on, give me a break!"  
"Hey, I'm rootin' fer ya!" It was the drunk in the corner, suddenly brought to life by all the racket.  
"Ben, Ben Kenobi?" asked the author. The drunk stood up and nodded, a little off balance and groggy but still clearly recognizable as the old Jedi master.  
"Who's he?" Majiri asked. The author ignored her.  
"But it's impossible!" Said the author in a hushed voice. "You're dead, and copyrighted! How could you be in one of my stories?"  
"If Lando an Leia an everbody gets to be init, I figured I could too," he said, giving a wild-eyed smile that looked incredibly like that of a middle school band director whose namesake created Star Wars in the first place (sorry for the inside joke if you don't know who i'm mentioning). Just then Keta noticed that the bartender was missing.  
"Where did that miserable scum sneak off too?" she wondered aloud as Silus assisted the author in helping Obi-wan over to the table.   
"Right 'ere!" said the Jedi raising a trembling hand into the air as he collapsed onto their table, still obviously not sober.  
"No," snarled Keta, "not you. The bartender…" A loud SLAM at the back door cut Keta off mid-sentence, and suddenly a swat team stormed into the room. Silus, Majiri, Keta and the author put their hands into the air and Mr. Kenobi sat snoring on the table peacefully. The room became extremely quiet, and the sound of footsteps (and Obi-Wan's faint snoring) filled their ears.   
"Aha!" said the bartender, walking in through the back door, "caught you at last!"  
"Who are you?" asked Silus.  
"Officer Shlickitt," said the 'bartender' with a grimace, "and I've been trying to catch you for the longest time…"  
"What do you mean?" Said Silus. "I only ditched the palace a few days ago, and hey, if Jabba wants the gem I was just about to..."  
"No, not you," said Officer Shlickitt with a piercing gaze.  
"Okay so I stole the gem," Majiri muttered, "if it matters this much to you..."  
"No, not you either," said the officer again.  
"I promise you I did nothing illegal," said Keta, "I was acting under the bounty hunter's code the whole…"  
"I'm not here for you either," said the officer, "although you look rather suspicious." The officer then looked down at the table to see the unconscious figure of Obi-Wan.  
"So you were looking for the drunk guy?" asked Majiri, obviously confused.  
"Nope," said Officer Shlickitt, "her." And he pointed a dirty finger at, the author? "Arrest that author!"   
"Wait a minute," said the redhead, struggling against the SWAT team, "what did I do?" The officer gave another nasty grimace.  
"Oh," he said gleefully, "numerous major violations of the Laws of Writing. First of all you've got plenty of infractions with all your unfinished stories and now this." He paused for a moment to heighten the drama. "On top of your 6 unfinished stories and other random musings you've just added multiple uses of copyrighted characters and consorting with characters in a pointless sub-story! Yes, you're gonna get it this time missy!"  
The other characters watched pitifully (except Obi-Wan of course) as the author struggled against the SWAT team. She seemed to be trying to shake them off so she could get at something in her pocket, but she was finally dragged outside so they couldn't see anymore. Officer Shlickitt turned back to look at them with yet another grimace.  
"With an author like that, hmph, you all should be ashamed of yourselves."  
"Well I'm not," said Majiri. They all looked at her.  
"What?" Asked the others in the room.  
"You all heard me. I said 'I'm not'. She may not be the best author but at least she's trying!"  
"Yeah!" Said Silus. "And her ideas aren't half bad I'd say!" Keta nodded in agreement.  
"Let's go," Keta said, pulling out her immense blast rifle, "we can take a SWAT team."  
"That wont be necessary," said a voice in the doorway. Silus, Majiri, Keta, Officer Shlickitt, and even Obi-Wan looked up at the figure in the front door, silhouetted by a bright white light. It was the author!   
"But, but how?" Asked the officer with a wrinkled frown.  
"I'm off the hook," said the author, "thought I was going to rot in jail, but I finally found my poetic license." She held up a battered plastic card. Officer Shlickitt walked over and snatched it from her, looked it up and down and finally sighed.  
"Yup," he said, "this is indeed a genuine poetic license. Well, I guess you are off the hook, this time." As he walked out the door with the remaining SWAT team members, the story gang let out a mighty 'huzzah' of joy. Even Obi-Wan joined in the happy cheer, and although he quickly lost his balance and fell over another table he got up and gave everyone a thumbs-up.  
"Cliché!" He shouted, and there was much rejoicing. 


End file.
